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World Cup 2026: Match dates, kick-off times and how to watch
The 2026 https://middleeasteye.net/topics/world-cup-2026" target="_blank">World Cup kicks off on 11 June with a record 48 teams competing for football's most prestigious prize.
Four years after Argentina were crowned world champions, England are hoping to end 60 years of hurt while Brazil, France, Germany and Spain are all chasing glory.
But for the first time in the competition's history, eight Arab nations have qualified, with Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia all aiming to light up football's biggest stage.
Qatar will be in action on the second day of the 37-day tournament as they launch their campaign against Switzerland.
Morocco, who crashed out in the semi-finals in Qatar 2022, will square up against Brazil later in the day.
Meanwhile Saudi Arabia, who beat Argentina 2-1 four years ago to record one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, will open their campaign against Uruguay on 15 June.
Check out World Cup kickoff times, where to watch the matches and the fixtures below.
Kickoff times:
Stage(s) | US & Canada (EST) | UK (BST) | India (IST) | Australia (AEDT) |
Group stage only | 3:00 pm | 8:00 pm | 00:30 am | 5:00 am |
Group stage only | 4:00 pm | 9:00 pm | 1:30 am | 6:30 pm |
Knockouts only | 6:00 pm | 11:00 pm | 3:30 am | 8:30 pm |
Group stage only | 7:00 pm | 00:00 am | 4:30 am | 9:30 pm |
Group/Knockouts | 10:00 pm | 3:00 am | 7:30 am | 12:00 pm |
How and where to watch:
Middle East and North Africa: BeIn Sports
United Kingdom: BBC and ITV
United States: Fox
India: Unite8 Sports
Australia: SBS
Group stage fixtures:
Thursday, 11 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Africa (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Friday, 12 June
Group A: South Korea vs Czech Republic (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Saturday, 13 June
Group D: USA vs Paraguay (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group B: Qatar vs Switzerland (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group C: Brazil vs Morocco (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Sunday, 14 June
Group C: Haiti vs Scotland (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group D: Australia vs Turkey (kick-off 5:00 am BST)
Group E: Germany vs Curacao (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Group F: Netherlands vs Japan (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Monday, 15 June
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (kick-off 00:00 am BST)
Group F: Sweden vs Tunisia (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Group H: Spain vs Cape Verde (kick-off 5:00 pm BST)
Group G: Belgium vs Egypt (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group H: Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Tuesday, 16 June
Group G: Iran vs New Zealand (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group I: France vs Senegal (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group I: Iraq vs Norway (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Wednesday, 17 June
Group J: Argentina vs Algeria (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group J: Austria vs Jordan (kick-off 5:00 am BST)
Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Group L: England vs Croatia (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Thursday, 18 June
Group L: Ghana vs Panama (kick-off 00:00 am BST)
Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa (kick-off 5:00 pm BST)
Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group B: Canada vs Qatar (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Friday, 19 June
Group A: Mexico vs South Korea (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group D: USA vs Australia (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group C: Scotland vs Morocco (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Saturday, 20 June
Group C: Brazil vs Haiti (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Group D: Turkey vs Paraguay (kick-off 4:00 am BST)
Group A: Netherlands vs Sweden (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Group E: Germany vs Ivory Coast (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Sunday, 21 June
Group E: Ecuador vs Curacao (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Group F: Tunisia vs Japan kick-off 5:00 am BST)
Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia (kick-off 5:00 pm BST)
Group G: Belgium vs Iran (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Monday, 22 June
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group J: Argentina vs Austria (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Group I: France vs Iraq (kick-off 10:00 pm BST)
Tuesday, 23 June
Group I: Norway vs Senegal (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Group J: Jordan vs Algeria (kick-off 4:00 am BST)
Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Group L: England vs Ghana (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Wednesday, 24 June
Group L: Panama vs Croatia (kick-off 00:00 am BST)
Group K: Colombia vs DR Congo (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Group B: Switzerland vs Canada (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group B: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group C: Morocco vs Haiti (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Group C: Scotland vs Brazil (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Thursday, 25 June
Group A: South Africa vs South Korea (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group A: Czech Republic vs Mexico (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Group E: Curacao vs Ivory Coast (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Group E: Ecuador vs Germany (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Friday, 26 June
Group F: Tunisia vs Netherlands (kick-off 00:00 am BST)
Group F: Japan vs Sweden (kick-off 00:00 am BST)
Group D: Turkey vs USA (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Group D: Paraguay vs Australia (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Group I: Norway vs France (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Group I: Senegal vs Iraq (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Saturday, 27 June
Group H: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Group H: Uruguay vs Spain (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Group G: New Zealand vs Belgium (kick-off 4:00 am BST)
Group G: Egypt vs Iran (kick-off 4:00 am BST)
Group L: Panama vs England (kick-off 10:00 pm BST)
Group L: Croatia vs Ghana (kick-off 10:00 pm BST)
Sunday, 28 June
Group K: Colombia vs Portugal (kick-off 00:30 am BST)
Group K: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (kick-off 00:30 am BST)
Group J: Algeria vs Austria (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Group J: Jordan vs Argentina (kick-off 3:00 am BST)
Round of 32 - Match 73: Group A runners-up vs Group B runners-up (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Monday, 29 June
Round of 32 - Match 76: Group C winners vs Group F runners-up (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Round of 32 - Match 74: Group E winners vs Group A/B/C/D/F third place (kick-off 9:30 pm BST)
Tuesday, 30 June
Round of 32 - Match 75: Group F winners vs Group C runners-up (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Round of 32 - Match 78: Group E runners-up vs Group I runners-up (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Round of 32 - Match 77: Group I winners vs Group C/D/F/G/H third place (kick-off 10:00 pm BST)
Wednesday, 1 July
Round of 32 - Match 79: Group A winners vs Group C/E/F/H/I third place (kick-off 2:00 am BST)
Round of 32 - Match 80: Group L winners vs Group E/H/I/J/K third place (kick-off 5:00 pm BST)
Round of 32 - Match 82: Group G winners vs Group A/E/H/I/J third place (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Thursday, 2 July
Round of 32 - Match 81: Group D winners vs Group B/E/F/I/J third place (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Round of 32 - Match 84: Group H winners vs Group J runners-up (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Friday, 3 July
Round of 32 - Match 83: Group K runners-up vs Group L runners-up (kick-off 00:00 am BST)
Round of 32 - Match 85: Group B winners vs Group E/F/G/I/J third place (kick-off 4:00 am BST)
Round of 32 - Match 88: Group D runners-up vs Group G runners-up (kick-off 7:00 pm BST)
Round of 32 - Match 86: Group J winners vs Group H runners-up (kick-off 11:00 pm BST)
Saturday, 4 July
Round of 32 - Match 87: Group K winners vs Group D/E/I/J/L third place (kick-off 2:30 am BST)
Round of 16 - Match 90: Match 73 winners vs Match 75 winners (kick-off 6:00 pm BST)
Round of 16 - Match 89: Match 74 winners vs Match 77 winners (kick-off 10:00 pm BST)
Sunday, 5 July
Round of 16 - Match 91: Match 76 winners vs Match 78 winners (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Monday, 6 July
Round of 16 - Match 92: Match 79 winners vs Match 80 winners (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Round of 16 - Match 93: Match 83 winners vs Match 84 winners (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Tuesday, 7 July
Round of 16 - Match 94: Match 81 winners vs Match 82 winner (kick-off 1:00 am BST)
Round of 16 - Match 95: Match 86 winners vs Match 88 winners (kick-off 5:00 pm BST)
Round of 16 - Match 96: Match 85 winners vs Match 87 winners (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: Match 89 winners vs Match 90 winners (kick-off 9:00 pm BST)
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Match 93 winners vs Match 94 winners (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Match 91 winners vs Match 92 winners (kick-off 10:00 pm BST)
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Match 95 winners vs Match 96 winners (kick-off 02:00 am BST)
Tuesday, 14 July
Semi-final - Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Wednesday, 15 July
Semi-final - Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)
Saturday, 18 July
Third Place Playoff - Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers (kick-off 10:00 pm BST)
Sunday, 19 July
Final - Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners (kick-off 8:00 pm BST)